The Ashanti Regional Police Command has apprehended two notorious members of Delta Force, a vigilante group, for causing commotion during a meeting of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Constituency executives at Tafo-Pankrono on Sunday.
The Delta Force is, however, linked to the NPP and believed to be the party’s internal security apparatus.
Paul Atta Onyinah, 49, and Richard Yaw Brefo, 51, spent the night in police cells after they were arrested and provisionally charged with conspiracy to commit crime and rioting.
Leader of the Delta Force in the region, Kwadwo Bamba, who confirmed their arrest and detention, said efforts were being made to secure police enquiry bail for the two who were part of the group that interrupted the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei during a meeting at Tafo-Pakrono.
The MP was whisked to safety before the hoodlums could lay hands on him.
They accused the MP of failing to honour his promise of securing jobs for them prior to the 2016 general elections.
They claimed the MP, who doubles as Minister of Monitoring and Evaluation, had also refused to answer their calls.
“We have given him job to do by working hard to retain him as MP. He also needs to fulfill his side of the bargain by giving us jobs too,” Sariki, a frustrated member of the vigilante group, said angrily.
According to him, they went there to confront the MP over his failed promises when they learnt he was meeting electoral area coordinators, polling station executives and constituency executives at the Tafo M/A Junior High School.
His colleague, Hark Musah Kasuree, also revealed that the MP had done little to improve their lives, after he used them to protect ballot boxes during the 2016 polls, indicating that Dr Akoto Osei had virtually gone to sleep over promises made to them.
He claimed the action and inactions of the MP are intended to thwart the re-election of President Akufo-Addo, and that members of the vigilante group would not sit aloof.
He stated on radio that as the leader, he decided to march the Delta Force members to the MP for them to pour out their frustrations to him after becoming tired of the lies, secrets and broken promises.
“Even though we meant no harm, our action was to send a clear signal to him that we cannot be used and dumped. Next time it will not be fun,” he indicated.
The Constituency Vice chairperson, Nana Afia Konadu Yiadom, who was at the meeting, expressed shock at the action of members of the Delta Force, describing the incident as regrettable.
According to her, the MP, who felt threatened, was quickly taken to his car and driven to safety, as they awaited police personnel, who were called to maintain law and order.
She debunked allegations leveled against the MP by members of the Delta Force, who rode motorbikes to the venue.
Nana Afia stated that scholarship packages given to the youth in the constituency by the MP were enormous, insisting that Dr Akoto Osei does not like making political promises.
Meanwhile, the lawmaker has stated that he has no grudge with any member of the Delta Force, and that their disruption of the meeting came to him as a surprise.
“I cannot say they were coming to attack me because I don’t have any personal quarrel with them, but they disrupted the meeting and that one is very clear…but it will be wrong for me to say that they were coming to attack me.”
“I’ve not talked to the group for a long time. There may be things in there that I’m not aware of…I haven’t spoken to them in a long time, they have not called me, and so I don’t want to say they have a grudge with me; that will be wrong.”
The MP went home after urging the MCE, who is the chairman of the Municipal Security Council, to report the incident to police.
From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi